I, like all of us, have had my plans majorly interrupted. One of the less consequential interruptions involves this installment of “Literary Links.” I had selected my topic, picked out a nice list of books and even made significant progress on my first draft. Then the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in America, interfering with nearly every facet of our lives. Somehow my topic seemed less pertinent, so I scrapped the whole thing and started over. Instead, I have chosen titles that tell stories of resilience. There are tales of personal loss and individual survival, of communities rallying together and about what we can learn from these experiences. In each, a monumental, life-changing difficulty is endured and those who endure it are stronger than before. Also, since all library buildings are closed for the time being, all of these titles are available in at least one digital format, and can be found at www.dbrl.org/catalog.
Geraldine Brooks’ historical novel, “Year of Wonders” is about the English village of Eyam during a year of self-imposed quarantine due to an outbreak of the plague. While unflinching in its description of the disease and how fear grips the village, this is ultimately a story about transformation and the need for community.
If you want a story about surviving in difficult circumstances, the Antarctic expedition genre is a good place to start. The aptly titled “The Worst Journey in the World” is an autobiographical account by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, a survivor of a particularly disastrous expedition led by Robert Scott. It is told with a quintessentially British brand of “stiff upper lip” frankness.
“Wave” is the true story of living through a natural disaster and the unimaginable loss caused by it. In 2004, the author, Sonali Deraniyagala survived a tsunami on the coast of Sri Lanka, but lost her parents, her husband and two young sons. This memoir is an unsentimental, beautifully written account of physical and emotional survival.
“Once More We Saw Stars” is another memoir of surviving a seemingly unsurvivable loss. Jayson Greene describes his anguish and grief after losing his daughter in a freak accident as well as his eventual turn towards hope and healing.
It is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers fighting in conflicts across the world. Ishmeal Beah was one. He was given drugs and an AK-47 at the age of 13, and sent off to fight in Sierra Leone. His memoir, “A Long Way Gone” is the story of how he endured that experience and came to live in America. It is equal parts harrowing and inspirational.
At 11 years old, Malala Yousafzai began blogging for the BBC about living under the Taliban’s threats to deny her an education. When she was 15, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman, yet she miraculously lived. “I Am Malala” is a firsthand description of her experiences and her continued advocacy for girls’ right to education.
It is often the case that during a crisis or after a disaster, people become more resourceful and altruistic. In “A Paradise Built in Hell” Rebecca Solnit explores this phenomena by looking at five major disasters from the past 100 years. There she finds evidence that reactions to these crises showcase human solidarity and point the way to a better society.
A similar book, but with a more prescriptive approach is “The Resilience Dividend.” In it, Judith Rodin examines communities that have been hit by natural catastrophe, disease and contagion, systems or social collapse. She ultimately prescribes ways of thinking and practical tools for taking action to protect communities.
We are living through an unusual moment, but not an unprecedented one. Others have lived through similar things, and much worse. We will get through this and will eventually return to normal, if a bit changed. Hopefully, some of these books will not only give you something to read as you are sequestered at home, but will also provide hope, inspiration and a path to move forward. When things get back to normal, please come visit the library. We will be happy to see you. In the meantime, please take advantage of all the digital resources we have to offer through our digital branch at www.dbrl.org/download.
